A Plucking Good Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I would like to thank everyone who made a phone call, sent me a message or wrote something on my Facebook wall!  It all made me smile.  My actual day was quite pedestrian, with just Alfie and I being home, but I had a great time on Saturday enjoying pints of ale whilst the typically British weather went about its thing outside.

Our three became two on Sunday when one of our chickens passed on to the giant coop in the sky.  She has looked ill on Saturday, so it came as no surprise when she was found laid out in the chicken run.  I had long thought about chickens, death, and pots and this seemed to me like an opportunity to put theory to the test - the perfect way to celebrate the chickens life.  And it was my birthday, an ideal excuse to cook up a feast!

I found this blog which has a good detailed step by step guide to plucking and preparing a bird.  So I got everything laid out, my laptop with instruction at the ready, and my vat of water on the boil. 

 

Having dunked the chook in 150 degree water her feathers were removed swiftly, and I have to admit to totally enjoying the process.  It also revealed a large green swelling under the skin around her belly.  Its clear she was not well (considering she died that is quite possibly an understatement) and under all that pillow filling she was as skinny as my son!  And so sadly she ended up in the wheelie-bin as opposed to my pot.

Feeling a little down at this outcome Alfie soon cheered me right up!  Initially he was just shouting at me, and upon investigation it materialised that he had trapped his finger in his shape sorter.  Nothing serious, and he was soon free and playing again.  And it was then he totally made my birthday.  He sat on my lap and continued to play with the shape sorter, initially just showing me what he could do (put the circle through the circular hole)

And then he did the sweetest thing, and asked me to show him where the other shapes go!  First he picked up the triangle, grabbed hold of my left hand with his free hand, and turned it over to place the triangle in my palm.  To which he nodded and went "ysssss" like he does.  And of course I showed him where it went - and we played like that with triangles, squares and rectangles for about an hour until Tash came home. 

The only small issue being that he can also squeeze the triangle through the circular hole.